Illinois

Northern Illinois leaders consider reinstating grocery sales tax at local level

Published

7 months ago

May 14, 2025

Northern Illinois leaders consider reinstating grocery sales tax at local level

(WIFR) – Municipal leaders prepare for a taxation juggling act.

Starting January 1, 2026, Illinois will eliminate the 1% grocery sales tax. For DeKalb City Manager Bill Nicklas, that begins the juggle. He claims around $800,000 in annual revenue would disappear with the change.

“Is $800,000 noticeable? Well, it is for us,” asserts Nicklas. In Fiscal Year 2025, the city expects $51 million to arrive from general fund revenues. Within that, the city manager says the grocery tax supports general operations, “That pays for our personnel, fire, police, public works, administrators like myself.”

In February, Gov. JB Pritzker emphasized the need to eliminate the tax. “This year, we are going to need to do even more to address high prices and counteract Trump’s tariffs that will raise taxes on working families.”

While the tax will disappear statewide next year, the law allows municipalities to keep it in place – if they so choose. Some communities, such as Rochelle, have taken steps to reinstate the tax or return it as a smaller charge.

Preparing his city’s upcoming budget, Nicklas sees two options for DeKalb: keep the tax, or let it discontinue.

“Keeping the same tax is going to be one of the options, and I’m not going to preview what the answer’s going to be,” states the city manager. “If we don’t replace it, what don’t we spend?”

Nicklas says he understands the tax’s elimination may benefit working- and middle-class families, but his budgeting process “isn’t about where our heartstrings are.” One figure from WTTW estimates Illinois cities and towns could close $350 million in funding starting Jan. 1.

Durand Mayor Sheila Hoffman shares a similar predicament. While her village differs in size from DeKalb (1,390 residents v. 40,211), she braces for a sprawling impact from the tax’s elimination.

“This year, with the budget, we‘ve really skimmed back as much as we can,” notes Hoffman. According to estimates from the mayor, Durand could lose $50-70,000 in annual revenue without the grocery charge.

Hoffman also focuses on the benefit those in Durand could see in their wallets once the 1% fee evaporates.

“We all have that same pressure on us to perform to the best of our ability for the taxpayers, but to also have the responsibility of maintaining the books to the best of our ability,” she holds.

The mayor sets a deadline for October to decide what’s next for local taxation (a similar goal for Nicklas’ budget proposal). Yet, she mentions where her final choice may rest.

“We‘re not rushing into that decision. Unless we really need to, we‘ll let that lapse with the state,” concludes Hoffman.

Each leader mentions a possible reinstatement depends on council member choices and public feedback. Nicklas suggests the decision process could use more research/data – especially focusing on household incomes in DeKalb.

“What we like to do in democracy is to have some objective basis on which to make decisions, and we‘re going to be lacking in that,” argues Nicklas. “Nobody’s got a chart.”

On Wednesday night, DeKalb County Board members began considering a county-wide 1% grocery tax.

Source link

Click to comment

Illinois

1 killed, multiple displaced after Glenwood, Illinois, condo fire, officials say

Published

3 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

1 killed, multiple displaced after Glenwood, Illinois, condo fire, officials say

December 13, 2025 / 11:02 PM CST
/ CBS Chicago

One person is dead after a fire inside a condo complex in south suburban Glenwood on Saturday evening.

It happened around 5 p.m. in the 900 block of 194th Street.

Glenwood fire officials said that crews responded to a second-floor unit inside the three-story building that was engulfed with flames.

It was confirmed that one person died in the fire. Their identity was not released.

Neighbors in adjoining condos were displaced. The Red Cross was working to provide further assistance to those affected.

Glenwood fire said they are working with the state fire marshal to investigate what led up to the blaze.

Source link

Illinois

2025 FCS football championship: Bracket, schedule, scores

Published

15 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

2025 FCS football championship: Bracket, schedule, scores

The 2025-26 FCS playoffs consist of a 24-team bracket with play starting on Saturday, Nov. 29 and concluding on Monday, Jan. 5. The top 16 teams seeded and the top eight seeds receive automatic byes to the second round, while the rest of the 24-team field (the remaining 16 teams) play in the first round.

Here’s everything you need to know for the Division I Football Championship postseason.

FCS championship bracket

Click or tap here to view the bracket

FCS championship schedule

All times Eastern

Quarterfinals

Friday, December 12
Saturday, December 13

Semifinals

Saturday, December 20
- Semifinal 1 | 4 p.m. ET | ABC
- Semifinal 2 | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2

National Championship

FCS championship rounds, dates

Selection show: 12 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 23 on ESPNU
First round: Saturday, Nov. 29
Second round: Saturday, Dec. 6
Quarterfinals: Friday, Dec. 12 through Saturday, Dec. 13
Semifinals: Saturday, Dec. 20
National championship: Monday, Jan. 5 on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. ET

FCS selections

The bracket selections for the 2025-26 FCS Championship was on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. The bracket was be revealed via a selection show on ESPNU at 12 p.m. ET and a selections release.

Eleven conferences (or conference partnerships/alliances) earn automatic bids to the playoffs. The FCS Championship Committee selects the remaining 13 at-large bids.

AUTOMATIC BIDS: Click or tap here to see all 11 of the clinched auto-bids

FCS championship history

North Dakota Dakota State is the reigning national champion, winning its 10 title in 2024 with a 35-32 win over Montana State. Here’s every FCS champion and runner-up from the past decade:

Year	Champion	Coach	Score	Runner-Up	Site
2024	North Dakota State	Tim Polasek	35-32	Montana State	Frisco, Texas
2023	South Dakota State	Jimmy Rogers	23-3	Montana	Frisco, Texas
2022	South Dakota State	John Stiegelmeier	45-21	North Dakota State	Frisco, Texas
2021	North Dakota State	Matt Entz	38-10	Montana State	Frisco, Texas
2020	Sam Houston	K.C. Keeler	23-21	South Dakota State	Frisco, Texas
2019	North Dakota State	Matt Entz	28-20	James Madison	Frisco, Texas
2018	North Dakota State	Chris Klieman	38-24	Eastern Washington	Frisco, Texas
2017	North Dakota State	Chris Klieman	17-13	James Madison	Frisco, Texas
2016	James Madison	Mike Houston	28-14	Youngstown State	Frisco, Texas
2015	North Dakota State	Chris Klieman	37-10	Jacksonville State	Frisco, Texas

Click here for a full list of every champion since 1978.

Source link

Illinois

Another Winter Storm Targets Central Illinois

Published

1 day ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Another Winter Storm Targets Central Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS) — After a brief lull in the weather on Friday, now another winter storm is setting its sights on central Illinois. Come Saturday, our next round of Winter is set to arrive. A new weather maker sweeps across the Upper Midwest, causing more snow to develop by mid-morning on Saturday. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued from 7AM Saturday through 8 PM Saturday evening. The snow will pick up intensity by late-morning and last through the afternoon into the early evening hours before ending. This new weather system will follow a path very similar to the previous storm system and spread a swath of moderate to locally heavy snow. Before the snow wraps up Saturday evening, expect another 2″-4″ for much of central Illinois, with afternoon high temperatures bitterly cold in the mid-teens.

But the worst blast of cold air comes in Saturday evening into Sunday. Frigid Arctic air surges down from Canada causing temperatures to really tumble, driving in the coldest weather we’ve had in a long time and certainly the coldest so far this season. A Cold Weather Advisory is issued from 8 PM Saturday through Noon on Sunday. Sunday morning will be dangerously cold with wind chills around 20 to 25 BELOW ZERO. With wind chills this extreme, it doesn’t take long to suffer from frostbite or hypothermia. Please stay inside to keep warm, but if you do need to venture out, limit the time you spend outdoors, and make sure to cover up all exposed skin by wearing a hat, scarf, and gloves. Sunday afternoon features lots of sunshine, but despite the sunshine, temperatures will be brutally cold and frigid with high temperatures stuck in the low single numbers while wind chills remain well below zero.

Expect more extremely chilly weather on Monday with wind chills still ranging from 5 to 15 BELOW ZERO in the morning and afternoon highs only reaching into the 20s. Then temperatures will finally start to warm up, and we should climb out of the deep freeze with highs in the mid to upper 30s on Tuesday.

Source link